The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has awarded over $41 million in grants to bolster pipeline and hazardous materials safety nationwide.

The agency distributed over $41 million to states, territories, tribes, unions, and non-profits for 11 safety programs to improve first responder capabilities and community-level safety initiatives. The funding included a more than 50% increase in funding for firefighter training on hazardous materials.

“These funds are critical for protecting communities and citizens from pipeline and hazardous material accidents,” PHMSA Deputy Administrator Tristan Brown said during the award announcement. 

“From training firefighters to promoting the use of 811 to locate underground utilities, these grants are essential tools for safety.”

In addition, PHMSA provided more than $9.2 million for five pipeline safety grant programs. These included:

• $2.4 million for Pipeline Emergency Response grants to support incident response and emergency responder training.
• $2.2 million for Competitive Academic Agreement Program awards to advance pipeline safety research and technology.
• $2 million for Pipeline Safety Technical Assistance grants to support local community involvement.
• $1.5 million for State Damage Prevention Program grants to address pipeline failures caused by excavation damage.
• $1.1 million for One-Call grants to improve state notification systems and damage prevention efforts.